After losing her husband and two sons, Naomi makes a fateful decision to leave the place of tragedy and return to her homeland. The end of the drought in Judah is not just a change in climate, but a spiritual turning point that allows her to return to her people and to God. Her departure is sudden, as she sets out without saying goodbye to the local residents. She does this either to avoid the persuasion of Moabite dignitaries who want her to stay [אלשיך], or because she hopes her daughters-in-law will abandon her along the way, as she is deeply ashamed to return to her country penniless [אשכול הכופר]. She uproots herself completely from the entire region of Moab, driven by a genuine desire to return to the Holy Land rather than just seeking better luck in a different Moabite town [אלשיך].
Although the three women travel together, the true act of returning belongs solely to Naomi. While they all agree to leave the disaster-struck area, only Naomi makes a firm, internal decision to return to the Land of Israel [מלבי״ם]. This return happens first in her mind. Because God counts a good intention as a completed action, she is viewed as having already returned the moment she makes up her mind [אבן עזרא, אלשיך, אגרת שמואל]. Her physical journey also carries the weight of spiritual repentance; Naomi deeply regrets failing to protest when her husband and sons originally abandoned their homeland for Moab [חומת אנך, אשכול הכופר].
Naomi learns of the famine's end through different channels. One perspective suggests she simply observes the greening fields of Moab and understands that the climate in Israel must have also improved [אגרת שמואל]. However, the primary approach among commentators is that she hears the news from Jewish peddlers arriving in Moab. During the harsh famine years, merchants selling jewelry and luxury goods stopped traveling because no one had money to buy them. Their sudden reappearance in Moab provides clear proof that the crisis in Judah has ended and the people once again have disposable income.
Naomi's decision to wait until this specific moment to return raises questions about her motives. Some explain she stays away to avoid burdening the starving Israelites with another mouth to feed [מגילת רות; ממהומה למלוכה]. Others point to her fear of public criticism; returning during the height of the famine would invite accusations that she fled when she was wealthy, only to fall back on public charity when she became poor [אלשיך, אגרת שמואל].
The news Naomi receives is not merely about agricultural recovery, but about God restoring His connection and providence to His people. The commentators agree that God does not provide bread simply out of pity. Rather, the people of Israel have repented and improved their behavior, making them worthy of consistent abundance [מלבי״ם, אגרת שמואל]. The sustenance was always prepared for them, but their past wrongdoings had delayed its arrival [חומת אנך]. Hearing that God intends to provide for His people, Naomi hurries to leave even before the harvest officially begins, eager to be included in the divine blessing earned by her people's repentance [אלשיך].